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Posts tagged ‘Crucifixion’

A man killed for an other

The previous weeks we looked at the suffering of Jesus and how he came to an end. When he was killed, our story did not end. We got to read that he in a strange way disappeared from the grave in which he was put in.

Certain Christian views on Hell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Three days after the crucifixion, the tomb of Jesus was found empty by his closest friends, who did not know what could have happened. normally his body would be part of the world of the dead, going to become victim of decay. But to the unbelief and surprise Jesus appeared to his followers, who where very much afraid for what went on and for the reprisals of the Romans and locals.

They all had witnessed how Jesus died and knew he was buried. Today there are people who take Jesus to be God, but than they forget that God can not die. Jesus really did. He had given his body, of flesh and blood to his Holy Father, the Only OneGod, Jehovah. In common with all other men his life came to an end, but unlike other men he returned from Hades (Sheol = hell) were he had stayed for three days. He was not tortured over there, because the hell is just the burial place or grave, where people are place in when they die. there would also not be one reason to put Jesus into a torture place for the sins he might have done, because Jesus was the only man who could stay without any sin.

Jesus offered himself to his Father who resurrected him out of the dead and made him higher than angels, to which he was lower before. God is and always has been the most High, but now He allowed Jesus to come sit next to Him, to be a mediator between Him (God) and men.

A great miracle and reason for Christianity

For Christians this taking out of death is one of the greatest of all miracles since the creation itself, and could have been accomplished only if Jesus got the full blessing of his Father, God, the Creator of the universe. The death and resurrection of Jesus marks the central point of God’s master plan for the world.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of the promises made by God and the reason of existence of Christianity. Everything else that was said or done by Christ and the apostles is secondary in importance to the resurrection. If the resurrection did not take place then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then we got the proof of the Old Testament sayings and have proof of the Messiah ship of the NazareneJew Jeshua, Jesus Christ, the son of man and son of God.

In case Jesus would have been God, than God just faked a death and presented a show of His body going out of a grave. As an eternal spirit God has always existed and shall always exist, but is also everywhere at once, and not bounded to any place. But Jesus Christ was bounded to the environment where he preached. He also was tempted, while God can not be tempted. After he died, Jesus was taken out of the boundary where his body was put in the clothes. The guards in front of his grave could take care his body was not been stolen, nor that a living person would be able to roll away the very heave stone on his own.

Charlatan or madman

If all of this is somehow a delusion and if Jesus of Nazareth did not really rise from the dead, then he is either a god who fooled everybody, and let the people suffer for many years before intervening, or he was no different from other great men who are also dead. He is worse than they, in fact, because he is thereby branded as either a charlatan or a madman, since he staked all his claims to be the son of God and being the Way to his Father, and who would come back to the earth after his death.

On the other hand, if the resurrection is really a demonstrable fact of history, then not only are his claims vindicated, but so are God His promises and the promises of Jesus. In case Jesus really died and was taken out of death, we have the proof of the love of God, who is willing to bring an end to the curse brought forward by the first men. In Jesus we can find then the new Adam, or the first one of the New Creation, the 2° Adam. With Christ Jesus we than can find a new beginning of which all followers of Christ may be part of.

Then we may believe that death is not, after all, the great victor, but is a defeated foe.

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5 KJ21)

Provider of a New Covenant

Jesus had brought his followers hope to life using the true Word, showing them how they could follow in his footsteps and go through the small gate to enter the Kingdom of God. By the work Jesus had done, his death made them free. By his offering they became partakers of the New Covenant with God by which they received new life which is not like their old life. Also for us, who want to follow Christ Jesus and believe in his resurrection we are not bounded any more to our old birth coming from mortal sperm. In case we face the reality of the Nazarene man having died and being resurrected by the Force of God, we can receive that new birth which comes from God’s living Word, which lives and stays for ever. (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23) We can get a new and better life, because Jesus was willing to give himself as a ransom for us all.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind; be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 KJ21)

“By Him ye believe in God, who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:21 KJ21)

Seeing the son, lower than the Father

In case you have doubts about the death and resurrection of Christ, think what reasons the whole parade would have been useful for. If Jesus is God, why did God wait such a long time before taking steps to save the world. And why did He not say directly who He really was when He would have been here on earth as Jesus. Plus how could all those people see and touch Jesus when he would have been God, because God Himself told the world that they could not see Him and live.

“And He said, “Thou canst not see My face, for there shall no man see Me and live.”” (Exodus 33:20 KJ21)

When we take Jesus to be God, we minimise his suffering, his death and his resurrection. Though as followers of Christ, being Christian, we should follow the teachings of our master and believe his words. He never claimed to be God and always told others to recognise the Hand of his father in the works he did. Jesus also was fully aware that his Father, God was mightier than him.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19 KJ21)

“Ye have heard how I said unto you, ‘I go away and come again unto you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I said, ‘I go unto the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28 KJ21)

Worshipping the Right One

Jesus often spoke to his Father, whom he worshipped and told us also to pray to Him like he prayed to his Father, who is the Master or Head of Christ.

“But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3 KJ21)

“And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son Himself also be subject unto Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28 KJ21)

As Christians we should believe the words of Christ and be believers because we trust the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead.

Smoke and mirrors

We have to face it — if Jesus did not really died and there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything the apostles told us is smoke and mirrors, and everything we have staked our life on is smoke and mirrors.

But we also have to be aware that there is an even bigger problem and a very bad sign we do give to those who do not believe in God or who do believe in other gods than our only One God, Jehovah. We would namely give the impression that all the sayings of the Old Testament make no sense at all and that God bends His words. We would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits the apostles passed on to us verifying that God raised up Christ — sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.

If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. If Christ is God he could not die and was not dead, so could not have been standing up from death, but if he would have fallen asleep, He just would have woken up and walk out the grave, no matter if it was sealed or closed by one or more heavy stones, because He can go through everything.

And if Christ wasn’t raised, then all we are doing is making wise vesicles, fooling ourselves and wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves and there would be nothing any more. It all shall be finished and without any prospects. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration, like we can enjoy the quotes from special humans or other religious figures, for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot.

The Women at the Sepulchre (The Angel at the Tomb of Christ) – 1805, Benjamin West (1738–1820)

“12 Now if Christ is preached, that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 and if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, if so it be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised; 17 and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of those who slept. 21 For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; 23 but every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-23 KJ21)

With the ignominious death of their master, his disciples were utterly confused and afraid for their own lives. There is no possibility that they could have continued as teachers of the Nazarene’s doctrines, and even less that others could have been persuaded to follow them, in those circumstances. The people who had seen and hear about Jesus and his miracles would have joked about him and his followers which would have been fooled all the way long.

A physical body, not a ghost, returned to life

When Jesus appeared to his closest friends he proofed to them that he was not a ghost, while his Father is Ghost. They could see the marks of his wounds.

“5 And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke unto you when He was yet in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”” (Luke 24:5-7 KJ21)

Stigmata, visual signs of his torture. – Groß St. Martin, An Groß St. Martin in Cologne – Photo Frank Vincentz

“19 And He said unto them, “What things?” And they said unto Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he who should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company, who were early at the sepulcher, made us astonished. 23 And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not.” 25 Then He said unto them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:19-27 KJ21)

“36 And as they thus spoke, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, “Peace be unto you.” 37 But they were terrified and afraid, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said unto them, “Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me to have.” 40 And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, “Have ye here any meat?” 42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate before them. 44 And He said unto them, “These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, 46 and said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.”” (Luke 24:36-49 KJ21)

John his doubts and fears immediately gave way to an amazed faith when he had entered the empty tomb. The collapsed grave clothes yielded no possible interpretation except that the physical body of the crucified Christ had returned to life, in such a remarkable form that it could simply pass through the linen wrappings and enter henceforth into the power of an endless life, like Jesus had foretold should happen! Spirit does not die and therefore cannot be “resurrected”, but they had met and spend many hours with the man from Nazareth.

Pilate was given assurance that Jesus died by the centurion (Mark 15:43-45). The savage spear thrust into his side by the soldier (John 19:34) made certain of his death, “and forthwith came there out blood and water,” evidencing complete collapse of the heart cavity.

Body not taken away

The disciples were hiding in fear of their lives and nothing could have been further from their thoughts than them trying to take away the body of Christ. Furthermore, the tomb had been sealed, a great stone rolled in front of it, and a watch of Roman soldiers set to guard it (Matthew 27:62-66). What is interesting about the witness of the disciples is that it is never presented as conclusive, or even as important. The reason for this is that there was no need for a human witness to the empty tomb at the time at which the gospels were written, because the witness of the whole population of Jerusalem – not to mention pilgrims from all over the known world – was that the tomb was empty. The inhabitants form Jerusalem could witness themselves what happened to the place where Jesus was been buried. In case the grave was not empty and it was not enough clear that the apostles had hidden the body they could not have made so many converts.

Several looked for Jesus, who was crucified, but could not find him in the grave. The angels had told the wives that he was risen and that they had to go quickly and tell his disciples that Jesus was risen from the dead. They told them that they would see him. When they and the apostles were going, some of the guard came into the city and reported unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers to say that his disciples came by night and stole him away while they slept. So they took the money and did as they were taught.

This story was current among Jews from the earliest times, and we have independent evidence of this. For example, Justin quotes a debate in which his opponent refers to Jesus as:

“One Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb… and now deceive them by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven” (Justin Martyr: Dialogue Against Trypho,108 [c.AD150]).

The story does, in fact, persist to the present day.

Judea in 30 AD was a province subject to revolt and terrorism. It was no place for soldiers to sleep in the open: any soldiers who were not alert were likely to be killed by Zealots. It is thus unlikely that my guard would go to sleep, and inconceivable that they would sleep so soundly that a group of men large enough to carry away a dead body could roll aside the stone over the grave mouth (this itself would be a noisy operation) without at least one of the guard waking up.

More significant still is the condition of the disciples. Before the resurrection they were broken men, afraid and in hiding. Afterwards they were bold preachers of the gospel, who were prepared to turn the world upside down in order to preach the risen Christ. Not only that, but they were almost all put to death for their faith (probably John was the only disciple to die a natural death, and even he was exiled). None of them ever denied their faith in the risen Christ. It would take a group of several men to remove a body from a grave; if the body of Jesus had been stolen all of the men in the group would have known that the resurrection never took place, and at least one of them would have been expected to break down and confess in the face of certain and unpleasant death. If one of the disciples had confessed to stealing the body, we would certainly have known it, because the Roman and Jewish authorities would have ensured that it was reported. That it was not reported shows that it never happened, and that the disciples did not steal the body.

The important point about this explanation is that it would be unnecessary if the body of Jesus was still safely in the tomb. There is only one conclusion that can be drawn: The tomb was empty.

“5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, “Fear ye not, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and behold, He goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see Him. Lo, I have told you.” 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “All hail.” And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them, “Be not afraid. Go tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.” 11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money unto the soldiers, 13 saying, “Say ye, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and secure you.” 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this account is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Matthew 28:5-15 KJ21)

Anyone who wished to find out for themselves could go down to see it; to do so would take only a very short time. Yet Jerusalem was the cradle of the infant church; thousands of people were converted there very soon after the crucifixion.

Believe in Christ Jesus

We may not forget that even in the family of Jesus there where who doubted about Jesus his task. The gospels tell us that James nor any of Jesus’ younger brothers believed in him during his lifetime. It would be very strange that the early church would generate fictitious stories concerning the unbelief of Jesus’ family and they would not have reacted against those stories. We must imagine the grieve the children of Joseph and Mary had with their parents and how they would react if uncertain events happened or unjust stories were told. Though with everything that happened James and his brothers did become active Christian believers following Jesus’ death. James was considered an apostle and eventually rose to the position of leadership of the Jerusalem church. According to the first century Jewish historian Josephus, James was martyred for his faith in Christ in the late 60s CE.

We only can conclude that the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries. There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming,” (1 Corinthians 15:12-23 )

The Jesus of Faith a myth? (proudfootz.wordpress.com) + Historical Jesus vs the Jesus of Faith vs the Mythical Jesus
the term ‘historical Jesus’ as Ehrman will be using it is in contrast to the ‘Jesus of Faith’, that is that when Ehrman is describing an ‘historical Jesus’ he does not mean a Jesus as accepted by most christians: the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, capable of performing miracles, uttering true prophecies, or raising others or himself from the dead, or really appearing as a spirit or some such thing to real humans after a resurrection. The sort of Jesus Ehrman is proposing to establish the real existence of is a mortal man like any other who is born, lives his life, and eventually dies and stays dead.
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most or (unlikely) all of them think Jesus was merely a mortal man like any other.
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it may well be that virtually all the experts believe Jesus really existed, but that doesn’t mean they believe in an ‘historical Jesus’ as Ehrman defines it. This is I think a major difficulty for Ehrman’s thesis because on the one hand he wants to stack the deck in favor of the historical existence of Jesus by citing the united front of ‘all New testament scholars’, but to do so he has to include the many, many people – scholars and laymen alike – who are convinced on the evidence that Jesus was a real miracle-worker who could raise the dead, raise himself from the dead, and was if not a god in his own right the son of a god. For most people Jesus was not a failed prophet, a street-corner rabble-rouser, or a social reformer: Jesus was Lord and Savior, the long-promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, Son of God reigning even now in Heaven, coming soon to judge the living and the dead.
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It’s safe to say that a great number of teachers in theological seminaries and divinity schools (and I think many in ‘secular’ colleges and universities) believe that Jesus not only existed, but worked miracles, rose from the dead, and was the son of a god, and communes with believers from his seat in Heaven. Up until now Ehrman has downplayed this fact.

Understanding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (christianity.answers.com)
The Bible teaches that the resurrection of Jesus was an actual historical event. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all record the resurrection as true. These same accounts also record many other miracles performed by Jesus during his life. Although many have offered alternative explanations for the resurrection, few are plausible and all contradict the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life.
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Some have suggested that perhaps Jesus wasn’t really dead and was able to walk out of his tomb after a few days of rest. The greatest difficulty with this opinion is that it fails to account for the thorough nature of Roman crucifixion. Roman soldiers performed thousands of crucifixions every year. They were experts at using crucifixion to kill people. It is simply not plausible that a man could have lived through a Roman crucifixion and had the energy and ability to break out of a sealed tomb a few days later.

Jesus Freaks (live-your-best-life.me)
What about being called a Jesus Freak though? Would it embarrass you or make you feel politically incorrect? What actions would it take to make you a Jesus Freak? Would you be considered for one if you are just a nice person or maybe someone who doesn’t hang out with the partiers of the crowd? Do you have to go to church for someone to think you are a Jesus Freak? What if, are you ready for this, you read your Bible in public? Certainly that qualifies you for that title. Is this a label you would wear in secret or would you wear it proudly?

The Meaning and Purpose of Our Existence. (revivehope.wordpress.com)
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system (the forgiveness of sin), and promises of the Old Testament. The New Testament also prophesies our future and warns us to be spiritually prepared, warning others, and spreading the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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God sent His sinless Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth to show His tremendous love for us, teaching us and demonstrating God’s power and might over all through various miracles, healings, and even raising people from the dead. He sent His only begotten (to cause) Son to die on our behalf (the penalty/consequence for sin is the shedding of blood) and rose from the dead to demonstrate His love for us and His power over sin and death.

1 When the morning had come, all the main Kohanim and zechanim of the people took counsel against יהושע {Jeshua} to put Him to death:
2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

3 Then Yahudah, who had betrayed Him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the main Kohanim and zechanim,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent dahm. And they said, What is that to us? You take care of that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the Beit HaMikdash, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the main Kohanim took the silver pieces, and said, It is not right according to Torah to put the coins into the treasury, because it is the price of dahm.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with the coins the Potter’s Field, to bury strangers {Non-Yisraelites.} in. 8 Therefore that field is called, Akel-Dahma, to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that what was spoken by Zecharyah {Shem Tov reference and Peshitta} the navi, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was appraised, whom the children of Yisrael did appraise; 10 And gave the silver for the Potter’s Field, as the Master יהוה {Jehovah} appointed me.

11 And יהושע {Jeshua} stood before the governor: and the governor asked Him, saying, Are You Melech of the Yahudim? And יהושע {Jeshua} said to him, You have said it.
12 And when He was accused by the main Kohanim and zechanim { the chief priests and the elders}, He answered nothing.
13 Then said Pilate to Him, Do You hear how many things they witness against You?
14 And He answered him not a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at the time of the moed {festival} the governor used to release to the people a prisoner, whom they desired.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner who was almost meshugas, { Shem Tov reference} called Bar-Abba taken in a case of murder who had been placed in a dungeon.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you wish that I release to you? Bar-Abba, or gauvh who is called the Moshiach?
18 For he knew that for envy and hatred without a cause {Shem Tov reference} they had delivered Him.

19 When he sat down on the mishpat seat {judgment seat}, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that Tzadik-Man {righteous Man}: for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.
20 But the main Kohanim {the chief priests} and zechanim {elders} persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Bar-Abba, and destroy יהושע {Jeshua}.
21 The governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you desire that I release to you? They said, Bar-Abba.
22 Pilate said to them, What shall I do then with gauvh who is called the Moshiach? They all said to him, Let Him be hanged.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out even more, saying, Let Him be hanged on an eytz.

24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but that rather a tumult was made, he took mayim, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the dahm of this tzadik {Righteous One}: you see to it.

25 Then answered all the people, and said, His dahm be on us, and on our children. {From a non-anti Semitic and positive outlook, may YHWH answer this prayer that Messiah’s blood be on all Judah for His loving redemption.}
26 Then he released Bar-Abba to them: and when he had scourged יהושע {Jeshua}, he delivered Him to be impaled.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor the horsemen of the court, {Shem Tov reference} took יהושע {Jeshua} into the common hall, and gathered to to Him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a keter of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, Melech of the Yahudim!
30 And they spit at Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.
31 And after they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own clothing on Him, and led Him away to impale Him.

32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Shimon by name: they compelled him to bear His execution stake.
33 And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, the place of THE SKULL, {Mt. Of Olives}
34 They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35 And they impaled Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the navi, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched Him there; 37 And set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS יהושע {Jeshua} THE MELECH OF THE YAHUDIM. {YHWH – Yahshua Hanotzrei Wemelech HaYahudim}

38 Then were there two thieves impaled with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. {Certainly a picture of YHWH’s two sons, Judah and Efrayim.}
39 And they that passed by reviled Him, shaking their heads, 40 Saying, You that will destroy the Beit HaMikdash, and build it in three days, save Yourself. If You are the Son of tvkt {Elohim} , come down from the execution stake.
41 Likewise also the main Kohanim mocking Him, with the Sophrim and zechanim, said, 42 He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the Melech of Yisrael, let Him now come down from the execution stake, and we will believe Him.
43 He trusted in tvkt {Elohim}; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of tvkt {Elohim}.
44 The thieves also, who were impaled with Him, reviled Him in the same way.
45 Now from 12 noon there was darkness over all the olam {Shem Tov reference} {land} until 3 in the afternoon.

46 And at about 3 o’clock יהושע {Jeshua} cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli-Yahuweh, Eli-Yahuweh, lemana-shabakthani? That is to say, My El-Yahuweh, My El-Yahuweh, why are You keeping Me? {“Ěli, Ěli, lemah sheḇaqtani?” that is, “My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me?” }
{Going with the Aramaic and not the Greek. In the Aramaic Yahshua is basically asking why the suffering is continuing so long. He is not accusing YHWH of forsaking Him, nor is He confused into thinking that He is being forsaken, since He is YHWH and knows the Father’s plan. The One who stated that He could call for 12 legions of angels to deliver Himself, and the One who said that the Father would never leave Him alone even if all the disciples did, would never claim to be forsaken. Since it cannot mean forsaken, the word shabakthani can also mean keeping me, or preserving me. In this context, this is the obvious meaning. Since Yahshua would never accuse, or believe that YHWH had forsaken Him, Psalm 22 can still be seen as a narrative of the Suffering Servant, but the literal words of Psalm 22:1-2 would never come out of Yahshua’s mouth. In this case, the evidence of the Aramaic meaning is clearly superior to the Greek, and substantiates that Yahshua requested a quickening of His suffering (in its 6th hour), as opposed to an accusation against YHWH of being forsaken.}
{(Mark 15:34).}
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This Man calls for Eli-Yahu. {Because Eli-Yahu-weh sounds like Eli-Yahu.}

48 And immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink.
49 The rest said, Leave Him alone, let us see whether Eli- Yahu will come to save Him.
50 יהושע {Jeshua}, when He had cried again with a loud voice, He dismissed His ruach.
51 And, see, the veil of the Beit HaMikdash was rent in two from the top to the bottom; {The veil to the Set-Apart Place, not the most Set-Apart Place.} and the earth did quake, quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Yisraelite kidushim that slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the kadosh city, and appeared to many.

54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching יהושע {Jeshua}, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of the Almighty.
55 And many women were there looking from far off, who followed יהושע {Jeshua} from Galil, attending to Him: 56 Among them were Miryam from Magdala, and Miryam the eema of Yaakov and Yoseph, and also the eema of Zavdi’s children.

57 When the evening had come, there came a rich man of Ramathayim, named Yoseph, who also himself was gauvh’s talmid {יהושע Jeshua’s taught one}:
58 He went to Pilate, and asked for the body of gauvh. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Yoseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.
61 And there was Miryam from Magdala, and the other Miryam, opposite the tomb.

62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the main Kohanim and Prushim came together to Pilate, 63 Saying, Sir, we remember that the deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64 Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His talmidim come by night, and steal Him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead: so that the last deception shall be worse than the first ones. 65 Pilate said to them, You have a guard: go your way; make it as secure as you can.
66 So they went, and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone, and setting a guard.

wondered, grumpily, where else a Ruler might leave his palace to see his

subjects? Whose Empire was it anyway?

Oh Foolish People (quietbuck.wordpress.com)
When will people see? When will people realize names such as Yahuah, Yahuwah, Yahwah, Yahweh are NOT YHWH’s name?

Walk with Jesus: Matthew 27 He who overcame (kzlam36.wordpress.com)
A spiritual war between good and evil in the spiritual realm. God has won. His Kingdom has come.And (A)they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for (B)they loved not their lives (C)even unto death.

The Practicality of Forgiveness (expagan.wordpress.com)
I think everyone can agree, regardless of religious affiliation, that humans are messed up.
+
We are missing something that is vital to our well-being. I wouldventure to say that the smaller problems (jealousy, short-temperedness,etc.) of mankind are worse than the bigger issues (like murder). Only a

few people commit murder, but all of us are guilty of the smaller crimes.
+
Yeshua and the Bible can relieve the human race from the things that

drag us down: past mistakes, and our terrible tendency to hold on to

hurt, so that we might punish those who hurt us.

Fortitude – John 19: 1- 30 (foragingsquirrel.com)
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”

Good Friday Scriptures (ryanwilliams1110.wordpress.com)
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thyhands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Easter scripture for today (awardwinningdreamer.wordpress.com)
we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’

Pre-Good Friday Rememberances (tidbitandmindbytes.wordpress.com)
These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not oneof his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says,“They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Gospel according to Saint John – Chapter 19 (ajmacdonaldjr.wordpress.com)
In John’s gospel, the only remarks made by Jesus from the cross are:1) committing his mother Mary into John’s care (Jn 19.26-27); 2) hisexpression of thirst (Jn 19.28); and 3) “it is finished” (Jn 19.30).

All three of these statements could be the types of “last words”

proclaimed by any ordinary man about to die by crucifixion. Also, there

is no exclamation made by Jesus concerning his having been abandoned by

“Give us Barabbas!” (from The Bible and its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons, 1910). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 And early morning occurring, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel together against Yahshua, so as to put Him to death.
2 And binding Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, the traitor, seeing that He was condemned, repenting, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, I sinned, betraying innocent blood. But they said, What is it to us? You see to it. 5 And tossing the silver pieces into the sanctuary, he left. And going away he hanged himself.
6 And taking the pieces of silver, the chief priests said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.
7 And taking counsel, they bought of them the field of a potter, for burial for strangers. 8 So that field was called Field of Blood until today.
9 Then was fulfilled that spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who had been priced, on whom they of the sons of Israel set a price, 10 and gave them for the field of a potter, as Yahweh directed me. (Zech.112, 1)

11 And Yahshua stood before the governor. And the governor questioned Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? And Yahshua said to him, You have said it.
12 And when He was accused by the chief priests and the elders, He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?
14 And He did not answer him, not even to one word, so that the governor greatly marveled.

15 And at a feast, the governor customarily released one prisoner to the crowd, whom they wished.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, Bar-abbas.
17 Then they, having been assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you wish I may release to you, Barabbas, or Yahshua being called Messiah? 18 For he knew they delivered Him up through envy.
19 But as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Let nothing be to you and that just one. For I have suffered many things today by a dream because of Him.
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds, that they should ask for Bar-abbas, and to destroy Yahshua.
21 And answering, the governor said to them, From the two, which do you wish that I release to you? And they said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate said to them, What then should I do to Yahshua being called Messiah? They all say to him, Crucify Him!
23 But the governor said, For what badness did He do? But they the more cried out, saying, Crucify!
24 And seeing that nothing is gained, but rather an uproar occurs, taking water, Pilate washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; you do as you please.
25 And answering, all the people said, let His blood be on us and on our children.
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But having scourged Yahshua with whips, he delivered Him up that He might be crucified.

27 Then taking Yahshua into the praetorium, the soldiers of the governor gathered all the cohort against Him.
28 And stripping Him, they put a scarlet cloak around Him.
29 And they wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed down upon their knees before Him and they were mocking at Him and saying, ”Peace, King of the Jews.”
30 And spitting at Him, they took the reed and struck at His head.

31 And when they had mocked Him, they stripped off His cloak, and they put His garments on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 And going out, they found a man, a Cyrenean, named Simon. They compelled this one, that he carry His cross beam.

33 And coming to a place called Golgotha, which is called, the Skull(head), 34 they gave Him vinegar mingled with gall to drink. And having tasted, He would not drink.
35 And having crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting a lot, that might be fulfilled that spoken by the prophet, “They divided My garments to themselves, and they cast a lot over My clothing.” (Ps 22:18)

36 And sitting down, they guarded Him there.
37 And they placed over His head the reason for His death in writing, THIS IS YAHSHUA, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one off the right, and one off the left of Him.
39 But those passing by, blasphemed Him, shaking their heads, 40 and saying, You the one razing the sanctuary and building it in three days, if You are the Son of Elohim, come down from the torture stake.
41 And in the same way, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, mocking, said, 42 He saved others; He is not able to save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the torture stake and we will believe Him.
43 He trusted on Yahweh. Let Him rescue Him now, if He desires Him.
For He said, I am Son of Yahweh.
44 And also the bandits crucified with Him defamed Him, saying the same.

45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour, Yahshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani; that is, “My El, My El, why did You honor Me to be here?”
47 And hearing, some of those standing there said, This one calls Elijah.
48 And at once, one of them running and taking a sponge, and filling it with “vinegar,” put it on a reed and “gave drink to Him.” (Ps 69:21)
49 But the rest said, Let be; let us see if Elijah is coming to save Him.
50 And crying again with a loud voice, Yahshua released His spirit.
51 And, behold! The veil of the sanctuary was torn into two from above as far as below. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were sheared!
52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
53 And coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and were seen by many.
54 But the centurion and those with him guarding Yahshua, seeing the earthquake and the things taking place, they feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this One was Son of Elohim.
55 And many women were there, watching from afar off, those who followed Yahshua from Galilee, ministering to Him; 56 among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jacob and Hosea, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 And evening having come, a rich man from Arimathea (Joseph by name) who also himself was a disciple of Yahshua,
58 coming up to Pilate, this one asked for the body of Yahshua. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given.
59 And taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in a shroud of fine linen, 60 and he laid it in his new tomb which was hewn in rock. And they rolled a large boulder and they placed it upon the entrance of the tomb. And they departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting across from the grave.

62 And on the next day, which was after the sunset, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered with Pilate, 63 saying, Sir, we have recalled that that deceiver while living said, After three days I will rise.
64 Therefore, command that the grave be secured until the third day, that His disciples may not come by night and steal Him away, and may say to the people, He is raised from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first.
65 And Pilate said to them, ”You have the guards. Go and take precautions as you know.”
66 And they departed and took precautions by the grave and set a seal upon that stone together with the guards.

Jesus goes on trial (myeverydaygod.com)
For many surrounding Jesus the day before and of His crucifixion, it was all about power. The religious leaders were jealous of Jesus’ authority and sway with the people, and feared losing their standing. Pilate needed to maintain order and power, and gave in to the crowds to pacify them and secure his reputation with Rome. The disciples argued about who would be the greatest in the kingdom during the Passover feast.

Crucify Him! (the song) (terribradyblog.com)
I would Never scream, “Crucify Him!” If I were there, how could I possibly say that I would rather have Pilate release a prisoner and kill the Son of God instead? Barabbas was known for robbery, which in those days often meant terrorism and/or bloody insurrection. (Mark 15:7) I would Never have chosen to release him, knowing that with my words, I could have voted for Pilate to release Jesus, a man who never sinned, instead!

Matthew 27:1-14 (sisterspray4me.com)
Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

“Who was Pontius Pilate?” (altruistico.wordpress.com)
Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea from A.D. 26-36, serving under Emperor Tiberius. He is most known for his involvement in condemning Jesus to death on a cross.Outside of the four Gospels, Pilate is mentioned by Pliny the Younger, Philo, and Josephus. In addition, the “Pilate Stone,” discovered in 1961 and dated c. A.D. 30, includes a description of Pilate and mentions him as “prefect” of Judea. Pilate is also mentioned in the apocryphal writings, but these were all written at much later dates.

My Name Is… Barabbas (crossroadsny.wordpress.com)
The name Barabbas means “son of a father or master” & some other translators have defined the name Barabbas to mean “son of shame”. Isn’t that true with us all? Every one of us is a son/daughter of the Father, of the Master; and every one of us starts life as a son/daughter of shame.Jesus Christ took the place of Barabbas. Jesus went to the cross instead of Barabbas. And by going to the cross in place of Barabbas, He went to the cross instead of us.

They mock, spit and beat him (crosspointecc.wordpress.com)
They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.

The chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. And Herod with his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate. The same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

Just before the festival of Pesach

Illumination from the Rylands Haggadah in the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The Preparation for the Seder (above) and The Celebration of the Seder (below). – Date 14th century – Source John Rylands Library – Author unknown

The disciples of the Messiah were wise, intelligent, capable men — specially chosen by the Messiah himself to be apostles, the leaders of his Church! It is inconceivable that they would wait till after sunset, after the 14th of Nisan began, to prepare for the Passover, if it was to occur that very night!
The New Testament verifies this fact. We read in the gospel of John, that the night Jeshua sat down with his disciples for a final dinner, which occurred at the beginning of Nisan 14, that this was “Before the Feast of the Passover” (John 13:1).

“1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon, to betray Him, 3 [Jesus,] knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, 4 *rose from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.” (John 13:1-4 NAS)

This meal was not the “Passover,” but rather was called simply “supper” (John 13:2, 4). If this meal was such an important event as the Passover meal, then we have an incredible anomaly, because during a Passover meal nobody gets up to leave half-way through the celebration, and certainly nobody would even think of leaving the Passover meal to “go shopping” for groceries! In fact, during the Passover celebration, there would no stores be open of any kind, anywhere! Clearly the apostles thought Judas was going to make further preparations, like going to buy some things. Notice the account in John:

“26 Jesus therefore *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot. 27 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining [at the table] knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.” (John 13:26-29 NAS)

Before the feast of the Passover, while they were at the supper

If this meal was the Passover, as many contend, then it is strikingly strange that the disciples would have assumed Judas was leaving the Passover celebration, before it was finished, in order to go shopping for groceries! The very idea is preposterous. No one in their right mind would have even considered leaving the Passover in order to go grocery shopping– certainly not.

Judas Iscariot (right), retiring from the Last Supper, painting by Carl Bloch, late 19th century

“1 Jesus having perceived, before the feast of the passover, that his time to remove out of this world to his Father, was come; and having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the last. 2 Now while they were at the supper, (the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,) 3 Jesus, though he knew that the Father had subjected everything to him, and that he came from God, and was returning to God; 4 arose from supper, and laying aside his mantle, girt himself about with a towel.” (John 13:1-4 LO)
“13 You call me the Teacher and the Master; and you say right; for so I am. 14 If I, then, the Master and the Teacher, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the apostle greater than he who sends him. 17 Happy are you, who know these things, provided you practice them. 18 I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen: but the scripture must be fulfilled, “He that eats at my table, has lifted up his heel against me.” 19 I tell you this now, before it happen; that when it happens, you may believe that I am [the Messiah]. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he that receives whomsoever I send, receives me; and he that receives me, receives him who sent me. 21 After uttering these words, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, saying, Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one upon another, doubting of whom he spoke. 23 Now one of his disciples, one whom Jesus loved, was lying close to his breast: 24 Simon Peter, therefore, made a sign to him, to inquire whom he meant. 25 He, then, reclining on Jesus’ bosom, said to him, Master, who is it? 26 Jesus answered, It is he to whom I shall give this morsel, after I have dipped it. And having dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 After receiving the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to him, What you do, do quickly. 28 But none at the table knew, why he gave this order.
29 Some imagined, because Judas had the purse, that Jesus had signified to him to buy necessaries for the festival; or, to give something to the poor. 30 When Judas had taken the morsel, he immediately went out: and it was night. 31 When he was gone, Jesus said, the Son of Man is now glorified, and God is glorified by him.” (John 13:13-31 LO)

Observing the Law of God

The disciples of Jeshua were like Jesus observant Jews who obeyedJehovah God’s Laws! This passage proves also that the disciples knew that this meal was not the “Passover” but that the Passover was still a day away! For they thought that Judas was being sent out to get groceries for preparation for the upcoming “Feast” — which had to refer to the “Feast of the Passover,” as verse one of this chapter so plainly says!

This is the reason why we do not call our Memorial the Passover, because it is not but it is well one of the memorial days of the Passover celebration or the Feast of Pascha.

The 14th of Nisan was the day when preparations were made for the actual Passover Feast which was celebrated on the 15th of Nisan. This makes why there is a difference of one day in our celebration and that of the Jewish community. We do start our main commemoration one day earlier, because Nisan the 14th became the remembrance day of the instalment of the New Covenant, the “Blood of the New Testament” and the remembrance of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

“Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.” (Luke 22:1 ASV)
“And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed.” (Luke 22:7 ASV)

“17 And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, [even] that which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:17-20 ASV)
“28 But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations; 29 and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, 30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30 ASV)
“35 And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. 36 And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. 37 For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment.” (Luke 22:35-37 ASV)

“26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:26-30 ASV)

John clearly says so! So do Matthew and Mark. Luke also corroborates this fact (Luke 22:1, 7). Neither Jeshua nor his disciples would have waited till the very last moment to begin preparation for Passover. Therefore, it could not have been at the beginning of Nisan 14. If it were, then Nisan 14 could not be called the “preparation day,” or “preparation of the Passover.” That would be ridiculous. How could Nisan 14 be the “preparation” of the Passover, if the Passover occurred just after the day began, after sunset? The whole rest of the day, then, and all the daylight hours, morning and afternoon, of Nisan 14, would then be after the Passover, because the sprinkling had to be done before the night or the beginning of the day!

Of interest concerning the preparation days and Christ his death:

Preparation day: Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) a.o. compared

Be careful, we do not agree with all dates or ideas given in those articles.

Solving the Three Day Three Night Mystery
There isn’t any way you can put three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.
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The special Sabbath John referred to is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it’s a date specific holy day; always observed on the 15th of the month they call Nisan, which corresponds to March/April on our calendar. So the first thing we learn is that the special Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 wasn’t a Saturday.

The Week With Two Sabbaths
There were two consecutive Sabbaths that week that prohibited any work. Luke is talking about the special Sabbath that began at sundown Thursday called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Three Days Three Nights Follow Up
If Jesus died on Thursday (Passover), and if at sundown immediately the feast of Unleavened Bread began, and if at sundown Friday the regular Sabbath started (Saturday), what day did the women buy and prepare the spices to anoint the body of Jesus?

Passover Confusion?
Why does it sound like Jesus and the disciples are celebrating Passover on the first day of the Feast of Unleaven which begins the day after passover?
+“The next day, the one after Preparation Day …” Preparation day is the name they gave to Passover, the 14th, because it was the day they got everything ready for the big Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated on the 15th, when no work could be done. This tells us that Jesus was crucified on Passover. {Our remak: Preparation day is not the same as Passover}

On the Temple calendar, which began the day at sunrise, the Sabbath rest was not interchangeable with the calendar day. Sabbaths are reckoned evening to evening, thus overlapping two days. Also, the Sabbath is not necessarily synonymous with Saturday, but with an ordained rest, and that rest might not fall on Saturday.
What does Scripture say about there being Sabbath days that are tied to festivals, but not necessarily to the seventh day of the week, Saturday? The laws of these religious festivals are found in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus. There it states, “on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation.” (Lev. 23:3) Here, Sabbath equals holy convocation. There are also seven fast and festival days that are described as holy convocations. Jewish dates are here given according to the sunrise calendar.
On Nisan 14/15, “on the first day (of Passover week) you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” (Lev. 23:7)
On Nisan 20/21, “on the seventh day (of Passover week) is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” (Lev. 23:8)

Preparation day of PassoverThe title ‘Preparation Day’ is referred to 6 times in the New Testament. (Matt 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14,31,42.)

Passover, A seven-day festivalWhat most call ‘the day of Passover’ isn’t really a day at all; it’s a seven-day festival. For notice the first instructions from God on this, as found at Exodus 12:2, 3, 5-8 (LXX), ‘This will be your first month. It is to be the first one [in your] year.
+The Seven Days of PassoverSo from the above, we can see that the seven days of Passover started after sundown on Nisan 14. That evening (the first full moon nearest the spring equinox) is when the Israelites were to begin a week of eating meals with fermentation-free bread. Then, on the following afternoon (which was the same day), the lamb was to be led to the Temple as a sacrifice; and the portions that were not offered to God and the Priest were taken home for the feast. So, the lamb was slaughtered at the end of the first day, then it was roasted and eaten after sunset that evening, which was the start of the second day.

+Nisan 14 – The Day of Preparation
Thereafter, God’s people gave names to each of these days. Nisan 14 was referred to as ‘Preparation,’ because that’s when the people were to prepare the lamb for the Passover feast. These lambs were traditionally kept inside the home and tied to a bedpost for four days prior to the Passover festival. It was then sacrificed late in the afternoon of Nisan 14. So, Nisan 15 was called Passover, because it was the day when the actual Feast was to be held, according to God’s Law (see Numbers 28:17).

Unfortunately, many Christians don’t understand God’s Laws concerning the Passover, or His Laws about the offering of sacrifices in general. For, many believe that Jesus and his Apostles ate the Passover Feast on the 14th day, and many also believe that Passover was just one day. However, notice that when Jesus sent his Apostles off to ‘prepare’ for the Passover, he didn’t say anything about a lamb. All he told them was to prepare a room (see Mark 14:12-16). No, the Jews couldn’t just go to a local market to buy a pound of lamb for the Passover. Rather, what Jews call the ‘Paschal Lamb’ had to be offered by each family or group personally at the Temple, where it was sacrificed by a Priest, who then offered up its fat and its blood to God, and who also received his portion of the meat (the breast and right shoulder). And no, Jesus would not have sent someone else to present his sacrificial lamb to God.

So, it was the on day before the Passover Feast, Nisan 14th, that Jesus instituted his ‘evening meal.’ As the account tells us; they just ate unfermented bread, a ‘sop,’ and bitter herbs (no lamb). This was appropriate, because it was the day that he (Jesus) as ‘God’s Lamb’ was to be slaughtered… at about the same time that IsraEl’s Passover lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple.

Proof Jesus Died Just Before the Passover Feast in 33 ADThe high days in the Passover feast week, are the first and last days of the 7 Passover feast days of eating unleavened bread. The first high day could start any day of the week, due to the fact that the month of Nissan would start on the day that two witnesses would see the new moon show up, and that day of the week varied each year. They would kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of Nissan, and the unleavened bread would be eaten from the 15th on for 7 days. The 2nd high day, was the 7th day or last day of the 7 day Passover feast. For that Passover the year Jesus died, the first high day was said by John to have been the same day as the Sabbath.
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It is possible to find all years where the first high day fell on
the Sabbath to verify which years are possible candidates for the
year of Jesus’s death. As it turns out, between the years 27AD
and 38AD, there are only 2 years where the high day fell on a Sabbath
and those two years are 33AD and 36AD. So given this, during the
period of 32AD to 36AD (after John started preaching plus Jesus’s
preaching, yet before Pilate’s rule ended), the only years possible
for Jesus to have died in, are 33 AD and 36 AD.

10 proofs passover is a memorialThroughout history a debate has raged concerning the proper timing of Yahweh’s Passover. Many observe the Passover on the 14th of the first month (Abib) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th. Others believe that both the Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are on the 14th. Still others observe the Passover and first day of the Feast on the 15th of Abib. Why so much confusion? It need not be.
This study will harmonize both Old and New testaments to show that the two observances are clearly separate and distinct.
+Scriptures proclaim that the 14th of Abib marks the Passover memorial, while the 15th of Abib starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But two particular deviations from this truth exist. One is that the Passover is the first high Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and falls on the 14th of Abib. The second is also that the Passover is the first high day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but occurs on the 15th of Abib.
+The Passover symbolizes a day of suffering and pain, while the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time of joy.

The Day of Crucifixion and time of resurrectionIs the Wednesday Crucifixion a fact or a fable? Wednesday Crucifixionists firmly believe that it is a Biblical fact. To support it, they appeal not only to the sign of Jonah examined in the previous chapter, but also to a second key text, namely, John 19:14, where the day of Christ’s Crucifixion is designated as “the day of Preparation of the Passover.”
The conclusion drawn from John 19:14 is that Christ was crucified, not on a Friday—the Preparation day for the Sabbath—but on a Wednesday—the Preparation day for the annual ceremonial Passover Sabbath, which that year supposedly fell on a Thursday. Thus, all the references to the “Preparation day” of Christ’s Crucifixion (Matt 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31, 42) are interpreted in the light of John 19:14 as meaning Wednesday—the day preceding the Passover Sabbath (Thursday)—rather than Friday—the day preceding the regular seventh-day Sabbath.

Conspiracy of Jews against Jesus – Luke 22: 1-2 (shalommysticwind.wordpress.com)
Luke identifies the feast of the Passover with the feast of the Unleavened Bread; and the Lukan time reference is more generic as compared with the Markan precise dating. The Passover feast, which was celebrated on 14th – 15th of Nisan, was the solemn, yearly commemoration of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The feast of the Unleavened Bread, originally a harvest festival, was held from 15th to 21st of Nisan. Eventually these two feasts were closely linked together and were virtually identified, and the celebration lasted from 15th to 21st of Nisan. According to the evangelists, the events of Jesus’ passion are connected with the national Jewish feast of the Passover. The Christian expression “Paschal Mystery” in reference to the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, is derived from the Greek word for ‘Passover’ – “Pascha.” The Passion of Jesus is thus understood as his own Passover, his ‘exodus’ from this world to the Father (God) (cf. Lk 9: 31).

Jesus. He is worthy of it all. (charissavincent.wordpress.com)Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.
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Jesus was worthy of it all, and so much more. How is it that Jesus’ very own disciples, the people who were with him all the time, the people who Jesus shared incredible wisdom and kingdom secrets with, how was it that they did not understand this act of honour. And yet for Mary there wasn’t even a slight hesitation.

5th Sunday of Lent 17.3.13 John 12.1-8 (preachersfriend.wordpress.com)
This simple account of an all-too-imaginable incident can take us to the place of deep devotion, or make us recoil with horror at the meanness of human nature. Maybe we need to do both.

Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial ritesEight days after his birth Jesus was anointed for the first time at his circumcision, the traditional Jewish celebration to take up the child in the community of the Jewish people, Israel, the People of God. Six days before the Pascha /Pesach or Passover when the “crucifixion” was to take place we find Jesus with […]

DOES THE “I AM” STATEMENT OF JESUS IN JOHN 8:58 PROVE THAT HE IS GOD? IS HE THE GOD WHO SPOKE IN EXODUS 3:14? — Bro. Joe Ventilacion 🇮🇹 Defenders of Christ-is-God theology cite John 8:58 as one of their biblical bases in proving their belief that Jesus Christ is God. Let’s take a look […]

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In the time of Paul, Corinth was a busy Roman trading city on the narrow strip of land between the Ionian Sea and the Aegian Sea.
During his eighteen months in Corinth (in 51-52 C.E.), Paul Had got a fair impression of the attitude of the Corinthians.

After the fall of Jerusalem Emperor Titus returned to Rome and received a triumphant welcome. At the same time, the Romans began to restore order in Judaea by putting down any final resistance and regaining control of the last few strongholds held by Zealots. The last and longest of these final encounters was the Siege […]

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On a Facebook group Diane Cohn neatly put everything on a row concerning the position of God and His son Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, yes, I, am he; and 👉🏻there is no god beside me.👈🏻 I put to death, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; no one saves anyone […]

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